Saturday, May 27, 2017

VIDEO SATURDAY - "DUEL OF THE IRON FIST"


Yesterday I wrote about the martial arts movie "Duel Of The Iron Fist", a scene of which was glimpsed in an episode of 'Malcolm & Eddie'.

Here's the full movie, dubbed, found on YouTube:


It's a shame nobody considered the possibility of a sequel while making this....

BCnU!


Friday, May 26, 2017

FRIDAY'S FRACKIN' FLICKERS - "DUEL OF THE IRON FIST"



'MALCOLM & EDDIE'
"RADIO DAZE"

At the beginning of the episode, Malcolm and Eddie are watching a kung fu movie on Channel 15*.  But the movie kept getting interrupted by the TV switching over to Channel 28* which was showing a chick flick called "Give Me Back My Liver."

That movie starred the televersion of a friend of mine, Shirley Jordan.  [I'll have more on that when her birthday rolls around.....]


But as for the movie Malcolm and Eddie were watching, I have Rob Buckley to thank for tracking that down.  It was a clip from a 1971 martial arts movie by the Shaw Brothers - "Duel Of The Iron Fist" which starred Lung Ti and David Chiang.  That screencap above is basically the same moment as seen on the guys' TV.
Here's the full clip:


I've never been a fan of this genre - the closest I ever came to liking something similar was the parody that makes up the finale of "Kentucky Fried Movie" starring Evan Kim.  Hey, it spoofed "The Wizard Of Oz" so how could I not like it?

But I may watch the entirety of this movie, if only for the performance of David Chiang.  I've always had a soft spot for those laid-back, detached, sardonic, somewhat sophisticated characters, whether the good guy or the villain.  Patrick McGoohan and George Sanders come to mind.  I think Chiang's character here (Chiang Nan - "The Rambler") would be welcome in their group.  There's also something about him that reminds me of Jackie Earle Haley.....


So this movie from Earth Prime also exists in Earth Prime-Time. I see no reason to make things more difficult by claiming it was some fictional movie.

BCnU!


* As of 2017, there is no Channel 15 in Kansas City, but I don't know if that was so 17 years ago.  The same goes for Channel 28. No matter.  Those TV stations existed in Toobworld and they're probably still broadcasting.



Thursday, May 25, 2017

THE HAT SQUAD - REMEMBERING DINA MERRILL



From the AP:
Dina Merrill, the rebellious heiress who defied her super-rich parents to become an actress, often portraying stylish wives or "the other woman," has died. She was 93.

Merrill died Monday, according to a family spokeswoman. The cause of death and other details weren't immediately available Tuesday.

With the help of Katharine Hepburn, who recommended her for the 1957 comedy "The Desk Set," Merrill was a popular star for years, due in part to her resemblance to Grace Kelly. Her films included "Operation Petticoat," "The Sundowners" and Robert Altman's Hollywood satire "The Player." She was also a dedicated philanthropist and supporter of the arts.


In Toobworld, most of the characters she played were members of those blue-blooded, blue-nosed patrician families who were proud of their lineages.  Most of them could trace their ancestry back to the Mayflower, I'm thinking.  And some of them even went to extremes to protect their family names.....

I'm actually thinking they all can trace their heritage back to the Mayflower, all descended from the same Pilgrim, no doubt, although the first few generations were closely related so that eventually their descendants could claim they were related to all of the Pilgrims.  But even so, eventually the families expanded over the following four hundred years to encompass many other surnames, but always with an eye to maintaining the high level of breeding to which they were accustomed.  In a way, they were practicing eugenics.  

So I'm making the claim that almost all of the characters played by Dina Merrill in regular TV series, both dramatic and sitcoms, were all related.  Perhaps a few were siblings, but not all of them - pity that poor mother if that was so!  But there could be a few "Identical Cousins" (which for Toobworld could mean that they shared the same father if not the same mother.)  And since telegenetics are strong, repeating exactly down through countless generations as we've seen in several TV shows, it's not unusual for all of these Dina Merrill televersions to be related, even distantly.

Some of these women proved themselves to be more than just members of the Beautiful Elite in good standing, just as Ms. Merrill did.  One became a judge in the New York City courts; another became a renowned marine biologist while her twin sister followed a similar path, but in chemistry.  One of these socialites used her influence in the world of newspapers; another became an "actress"; still another an international hotelier.  One even became a spy!  Others turned their back on their standings in society and perhaps their fortunes in order to help people in the inner cities.

And there were a few, however, who would do anything to protect their family's reputation and fortunes... including murder.

Most of them tried to marry well, but in that regard fame and wealth were never a guarantee for the "Happily Ever After".

As I collected all of these characters from the IMDb, I realized that she really is an interesting topic for several blog posts.  And I'll be saving at least two of those posts for this August, when I showcase TV Westerns.

But to begin with, here are all of the women of Earth Prime-Time who were of the same generation level, and may soon be following Dina Merrill into the Big HIatus (if they haven't passed away already.....)

Hong Kong
- Lady Godiva
 (1961)
Helen Rowan Randolph
Evans is wakened by a friendly warning that his publisher, Helen Rowan Randolph, is in Hong Kong. She's an old love of Evans' and Howard Conrad was the cause of many quarrels between them in the days when Glenn, Helen, and Conrad were reporting the Korean War. (Rowan Randolph had married the late owner of the Taylor's newspaper.)  Now Helen is pressing the Hong Kong police to solve the Conrad murder. He calls her a modern Lady Godiva who wears clothes, a Carrie Nation with a typewriter. She calls him an insufferable, intransigent, insensitive, incurable male. They've missed each other.

The Investigators
- Style of Living
 (1961)
Valerie Corbin
Russ Andrews, Steve Banks and Bill Davis are investigators working for a very successful detective agency in New York City. Their cases are all tied to very large insurance claims.  A wealthy wife, Valerie Corbin, is concerned for her gambling husband's life.

The New Breed
- So Dark the Night
 (1962)
Ruth Kingman
O'BSERVATION: I don't have information on what happened in this episode.

Dr. Kildare
- Oh, My Daughter 
(1962)
Evelyn LeFevre
Gillespie's daughter leaves her home in Paris to come to Blair for tests. When she is told she is pregnant, she bitterly and angrily denies it, and tries to jump out a window. A psychiatrist tries to discover the source of her fears.
O'BSERVATION: So it appears that Dr. Gillespie married into this blossoming family tree and contributed to the wealth of these socialites.

Checkmate
- A Very Rough Sketch
 (1962) 
Laura Hammond
A young man who has just won an art contest learns that his father has been arrested for embezzling from his company. Now Checkmate must find a good influence who can stop him from turning violent.  An art teacher played by Dina Merrill at a local settlement house takes an interest in him, but of course he mistakes that as well. 

Burke's Law
- Who Killed Mr. X?
 (1963) 
Barrie Coleman
A body turns up at a merry-go-round. There are no identifying papers on the body and the labels have been removed from the man's clothing. The few clues available point Burke toward an actress under exclusive contract to Flood, a rarely seen industrialist. Burke discovers a number of women are under such exclusive contracts. Then, the detective discovers the dead man was Flood himself. 

Mickey
- Seaside Westside
 (1964)
Angela
Situation comedy in which Midwesterner Rooney, aided by Asian helper Sammee Tong, moves to Newport Beach to operate a motel he's inherited.  The Gradys arrive in California to find their hotel full of guests – the non-paying variety.
O'BSERVATION: I don't know anything more about this first episode of the sitcom, nor about Angela.

The Rogues
- The Personal Touch (1964)
Kendall Frazier
Alec masquerades as a wealthy Australian millionaire to extract a million dollars from ruthless shipping magnate Rodesko but the job is complicated when Alec's affection for Rodesko's fiancée grows.
- A Daring Step Backward
 (1965)
Clothilde Bonheur
When Marcel's old flame, Clothilde, has her entire new fashion design line pirated, the family comes together to make the pirate "walk the plank".

Run for Your Life
- East of the Equator 
(1967)
Caroline Willins
A widow thinks her husband may be alive after seeing a painting resembling his work.

Mission: Impossible
- The Controllers: Part 1
 & 2 (1969)
Meredyth
An Eastern Bloc nation is trying to develop a mind-controlling drug, a project led by Dr. Karl Turek. Phelps devises a plan to play Turek off against a rival, Colonel Borodin. Phelps and Meredyth pose as a pair of defecting U.S. scientists, who supposedly have developed an alternative drug to the one that Turek is working on. The IMF's scheme calls for Turek to try to kill Borodin, which will result in a trial where Turek will be discredited. But the complicated plan goes awry and the episode ends with Phelps under fire by guards.

Phelps escapes but Borodin, who had been unconscious in the trunk of the car driven by the IMF driver, is killed by a shot fired by guards. This is a major setback to the IMF because Phelps' plan called for Borodin to denounce Turek at a trial. Now, Phelps & Co. must scramble to get the plan back on track. Meanwhile, Turek continues to make progress in perfecting his mind-controlling drug.
O'BSERVATION: Ms. Merrill played Meredyth, a temporary member of the IMF team.

The Name of the Game
- The Incomparable Connie Walker (1969)
Nancy Devlin
Mayor Conway Walker is the victim of a smear campaign - or is he really corrupt? Jeff Dillon finds himself questioning his own loyalty.
- The Glory Shouter (1970)
Maggie Payden
Popular preacher Ronald Payden has mounted a crusade - but someone is embezzling his funds, Dan Farrell investigates who.

The Bold Ones: The New Doctors
- Angry Man
 (1971) 
Madeline Calvert
A caring but cynical paramedic has been treating indigent patients himself in a small inner-city office with very little medical facilities, and removing items from the hospital in order to treat them.

Medical Center
- Perfection of Vices
 (1971)
Ruth Marlowe
Lochner's college flame, whom he briefly married until her father had it annulled, is suffering from a heart ailment. But she refuses to have an angiogram which could pinpoint the problem. And she gives Lochner some unexpected news.
O'BSERVATIONI could be wrong, but that unexpected news?  I think it means Dr. Lochner contributed to the family tree as well.

The F.B.I. 
- The Monster (1965)
Jean Davis
In the first episode, Erskine and Rhodes are assigned to track down Francis Jerome, an extortionist who has escaped from a federal prison in Pennsylvania. Erskine must also confront a number of personal issues when a woman involved in the case takes a liking to him. 
- The Franklin Papers (1972)
Christine Minton
A man and woman specialize in a certain type of con. She seduces rich men while he prepares elaborate forgeries of historical documents that's also part of the bait. Their latest con involves phony papers supposedly written by Benjamin Franklin. Erskine and Colby are on their tail. The woman is falling in love with her latest target. But the man has been joined by his estranged wife -- and she has her own ideas how to proceed.

Marcus Welby, M.D.
- A Cry in the Night 
(1973)
Dr. Carol Brooks
A marine biologist refuses to take even routine medical exams because she fears the effect test results will make on her professional and personal life.

Cannon
- Murder by the Numbers 
(1973)
Doris Hawthorne
A wealthy middle-aged woman's fiancé disappears shortly before their scheduled wedding, and she hires Cannon to find him.

The Odd Couple
- Oscar in Love 
(1974) 
Anita
Oscar finds a girl and wants to become a family man

Switch
- Kiss of Death
 (1975)
Luciana
O'BSERVATION: I have no other information on this episode.

Kingston: Confidential
- Kingston
 (1976)
Helen Martinson
An investigative reporter, backed by the head of a newspaper and TV chain, uncovers a plot to utilize nuclear power plants in a scheme to take over the world.

Hawaii Five-O
- Nine Dragons
 (1976)
Dr. Barbara Dalton
Wo Fat poses as a Chinese scientist as part of a plot to steal a deadly toxin from the University of Hawaii. 

Quincy M.E.
- Who's Who in Neverland
 (1976)
Claire Garner
Margo Bentley's book about her experiences hobnobbing with powerful people worldwide just might be a best-seller. Concerned about advance publicity, she advises her agent that she'll continue working in a hotel, under an alias. Hours later, she's dead, apparently of liver cirrhosis. Unmoved by Quincy's objections, Asten releases the body to a funeral home that quickly cremates it. Then Quincy finds a strange microorganism in her blood - something he's never seen before. One of Margo's friends gives Quincy the New York telephone number of her literary agent, but Quincy finds that avenue closed - by the days earlier death of that agent, apparently from liver cirrhosis...

The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries
- A Haunting We Will Go
 (1977)
Thelma March
Nancy and her friends are putting on a stage show that will bring in money to build a youth center. The original play was at this theater years ago. Nancy got all the original actors to come and put on the play for free for her cause. Funny things start happening. Lights start falling, windows that were locked are opened and people almost get killed.  The actors arrive and all hate each other. The actors have been blackmailed and each one thinks the other actor is blackmailing them.

The Love Boat
Take My Boyfriend, Please Parts 1 & 2
 (1979)
Helen Ames
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are among those on board for a charity cruise to benefit an orphanage.  Helen Ames (Dina Merrill) thinks that her daughter Wendy (Gaye Carter), a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, is trying to steal her boyfriend Bill Kelly (William Windom) from her. 

Hot Pursuit 
Estelle Modrian
Kate Wyler is an automotive engineer, who is married to Jim, a veterinarian. She is currently working on a project for Victor Modrian. It appears that his wife Estelle doesn't like the attention that he is giving Kate and the way that he is handling the business. One day Victor is killed, and evidence points to Kate. The most damaging evidence appears to be surveillance photo that shows Kate buying the gun that killed Victor. Kate is convicted. Later Jim discovers a homeless woman who is a dead ringer for Kate. It then dawns on Jim that this woman was probably the one who posed as Kate in the surveillance photo. He then also discovers that Estelle's behind the whole thing. But with no evidence or witness to back his story, Jim breaks Kate out and together they try [to find] the girl who posed as Kate, while not only staying ahead of the law but of Estelle to who is trying to either get rid of them.

Hotel
- The Wedding
 (1984) 
Eleanor Blackwood
The St. Gregory is hosting a wedding between two people from wealthy families. However, the groom's father is having money troubles and the bride's father is having an affair. And that's just the start.
- Opening Moves (1986) 
Jessica Cabot
After Victoria dies, Peter is left in charge. However, there is one Cabot that wants him out. 
- Queen's Gambit (1986)
Jessica Cabot
Peter continues his battle with Charles for control of the hotel.

Murder, She Wrote
- The Monte Carlo Murders
 (1992) 
Annie Floret
Jessica is in Monte Carlo visiting her good friend, hotelier Annie Floret. They haven't seen each other for 10 years and Jessica quickly realizes that her friend is under a great deal of pressure. She learns from police Inspector Morel that Annie owes a great deal of money to businessman Earp Harper and will lose everything if she doesn't come up with the payment within a few days. When Harper is found in his suite stabbed in the chest with a pair of scissors and a very expensive piece of jewelry goes missing, the police arrest Peter Templeton, a one-time jewel thief who worked in the hotel. Annie however fears that her son Richie, who had earlier threatened Harper, is behind the killing.

The Nanny
- The Two Mrs. Sheffields
 (1995) 
Elizabeth Sheffield
When Maxwell's mother wants him to get rid of Fran, Maxwell reacts by proposing to Fran who makes him feel very guilty for using her.

Vengeance Unlimited
- Ambition
 (1998)
Ellen Hayworth
A friend of K.C.'s has been having an affair for a man running for re-election as a Senator. When she has an accident, his mother decides to have the woman murdered. Now it is up to Chapel to set things right.

100 Centre Street
- Bottlecaps
 (2001)
Judge Helen Randolph
O'BSERVATION: I have no other information on this episode.

Over the course of next week I will be looking at some of her other roles in Toobworld which sparked my interest for their televisiological value.


Good night and may God bless......

(The plot descriptions come from the IMDb.....)

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

SECRETS OF TELEVISIOLOGY - EPISODE DATING*



'MURDER, SHE WROTE'
"DEADPAN"

This episode was broadcast at the beginning of May of 1988.  Since it dealt with the opening of a revised production of Jessica Fletcher's play "Mainely Murder", it probably occurred in April of that year (hoping to make the eligibility cut-off for the Tony Awards.)

In the above picture we see Lt. Aloiysius Jarvis of the NYPD who was in charge of the murder investigation.  (More than likely he was working from Midtown North, which covers the Theater District.)  And Lt. Jarvis is framed by the portraits of NYC Mayor Ed Koch and NY Governor Mario Cuomo.

ED KOCH
105th Mayor of New York City
In office:
January 1, 1978 – December 31, 1989

MARIO CUOMO
52nd Governor of New York
In office:
January 1, 1983 – December 31, 1994

(Somewhere in the office might be a picture of the current POTUS of that time as well, which would have been Ronald Reagan.)

These kinds of pictures are almost cliches by this point when seen in police departments, the offices in government buildings, and military facilities.  And they are a great way to date when a particular TV show episode was supposed to have taken place.

I've written about this before, in that case an NYPD office during the mayoral term served by John Lindsay.

And it works with offices found in the United Kingdom as well - the Queen, the many prime ministers.....

BCnU!

* (At least buy it a drink.....)


Tuesday, May 23, 2017

TV ON TV TUESDAY - DOOL RULES!




Time to de-Zonk another TV show which gets mentioned an awful lot in other TV shows.  So I've chosen the soap opera powerhouse 'Days Of Our Lives', mostly because of this scene in my favorite new sitcom...... 


'GREAT NEWS'
"WAR IS HELL"



Marlena Evans:
So by pretending to like Sylvester,
I will trick Belle into breaking up with him.


Kate Roberts:
Great plan.  Except....


[Kate pulls off her face to reveal who she really is.]


Marlena:
Sylvester

From Wikipedia:
"Days Of Our Lives" (also stylized as "Days of our Lives"; often abbreviated to DOOL or "Days") is an American daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around the world. Until the network's closure in 2013, Soapnet rebroadcast episodes of "Days" on a same-day basis each weeknight at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. (Eastern and Pacific Time). The series was created by husband-and-wife team Ted Corday and Betty Corday. Irna Phillips was a story editor for "Days of Our Lives" and many of the show's earliest storylines were written by William J. Bell.

"Days of Our Lives" aired its 10,000th episode on February 21, 2005, and its 12,000th episode aired on January 11, 2013. The soap was given the title of most daring drama in the seventies due to covering topics other soaps would not dare to do. The show's executive producer is Ken Corday, and co-executive producers are Greg Meng and Albert Alarr. "Days of Our Lives" is the most widely distributed soap opera in the United States.

'Days Of Our Lives' was a long-established TV show within the TV Universe (not just the main Toobworld) well before we saw this scene play out in the episode.  And that's even though the characters of DOOL exist in the same TV dimension as those talking about it.

And it's not just references to the soap opera; we even got to see characters watching the show, actual scenes from the show and not just faked scenes like the one above.

Amazing Stories:
The Sitter 
(1986)
Mrs. Abbot watches the series on television.

Dawson's Creek:
Detention
 (1998)
Mrs. Tringle is watching this in her office

Friends: 
The One That Could Have Been: Part 1 (2000)
Rachel watches an episode of the show which co-stars Kristian Alfonso as Hope Brady.

Scrubs:
My Mentor
 (2001)
My Fifteen Minutes (2001)
Watched on TV in both episodes.

Friends: 
The One Where Rachel Has a Baby: Part 1 (2002)
The show comes on the television in Cliff's hospital room.

American Dreams:
Old Enough to Fight
 (2004)
Several clips from the series are shown.

Supernatural:
The French Mistake
 (2011)
Sam and Dean watch a clip from "Days of Our Lives" starring Jensen Ackles.
(That may have occurred in an alternate dimension.)

To add to the Zonky festivities, it can work both ways....

30 Rock:
Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001 
(2009)
Bo and Hope watch footage of Liz on their TV.

A lot of TV shows have mentioned the show over the years:

Probably the most recognizable factor about this soap opera that set it apart from others was the opening narration:


"Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives."


And a lot of characters in other shows betrayed the fact that they watched the show by quoting that.

Sanford and Son:
Fred & Carol and Fred & Donna
 (1972)
Fred recites the opening words to this soap opera, mentioning MacDonald Carey.

O'BSERVATION: Until his death, MacDonald Carey was the narrator and provided this extra line:

"This is Macdonald Carey, and these are the 'Days Of Our Lives."


But upon his death, it was retired for the sake of his family.  But that's why Carey was mentioned by Fred.

So here are the other examples of TV characters who knew that opening narration:

The Nanny: 
The Will (1995)
Fran recites the show's opening credits monologue.

Night Court:
The Blizzard
 (1984)
"These are the days of our lives."

Night Court:
Puppy Love
 (1991)
"Like sand through an hourglass so are the days of our lives."

Frasier:
Don't Go Breaking My Heart 
(2002)
'Like sands through the hourglass..." is quoted by Martin.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air:
As the Will Turns 
(1995)
Will :"Who knows if I wind up living out the days of my life"

3rd Rock from the Sun:
Happy New Dick!
 (1998)
Dick says, "Like bread in the fondue pot, so are the days of our lives."

Gilmore Girls:
The Bracebridge Dinner
 (2001)
Lorelai says, "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the Gilmores of our lives."

Will & Grace:
Homo for the Holidays 
(1999)
Will: "This is like watching Gays of our Lives."


Hot in Cleveland:
Dancing Queens
 (2011)
Victoria: "These are the gays of our lives!"

Excused:
Hurray for Harut
 (2011)
Iliza says, "And this concludes another episode of 'Days of Our Saliva'."


There were plenty of other simple mentions of 'Days Of Our Lives':

The Facts of Life:
Graduation: Part 2 (1983)

Cheers:
An American Family (1984)

Shameless:
I'll Light a Candle for You Every Day (2012)

House:
Gut Check (2012)

Glee:
Props (2012)

Suits:
The Choice (2012)

Revolution:
No Quarter (2012)

Wonderfalls:
Lying Pig (2004)

How I Met Your Mother:
Third Wheel (2007)

Greek:
Formally Yours (2008)

Degrassi: The Next Generation:
Didn't We Almost Have It All (2008)

Criminal Minds: 
Memoriam (2008)

Supernatural:
Unforgiven (2011)


Marlena Evans:
So if I lock Justin and Greg in a room and I throw firecrackers at them, 
people will think that I am crazy.

That way, I won't have to go to South Sudan, 
and nobody will ever know that I was afraid.


Belle Black:
Great plan, except.... 

[Belle removes her face to reveal who she really is.]

Marlena:
Oh! Sylvester! 

BCnU!

Monday, May 22, 2017

MINUTIAE MONDAY - A BEHIND THE SCENES ADDENDUM


Recently I posted a list of TV movies and theatrical films which make up a Borderland which focuses on the behind the scenes productions of TV shows from the Trueniverse.  Most of the American TV movies dealt with iconic shows from the 1970s and 80s, but the British broadcasts went back to shows from the 1960s as well.  (Click here for the list.)

I thought I was going to be able to add the Robert Redford/Michelle Pfeiffer movie "Up Close And Personal" to this list, but the story and characters were fictional even though the main character's life was based on Jessica Savitch.  Until I started writing this up, I thought Pfeiffer was playing Savitch; turns out she's Terry Atwater.

If somebody wants to create a universe of roman a clefs, be my guest.....

But there are two movies I can add - 


Don Hewitt (Philip Baker Hall), Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino),
and Mike Wallace (Christopher Plummer) in "The Insider"

"THE INSIDER" about the '60 Minutes' whistle-blower story that became controversial.  Philip Baker Hall played producer Don Hewitt and Christopher Plummer was Mike Wallace.

"HEFNER: UNAUTHORIZED" - a docu-drama about the Playbody publisher (and member of the Television Crossover Hall of Fame) in which Mark Harelik assayed the role of Mike Wallace.

Mike Wallace is a member of the TVXOHOF as well.  As with Hefner, he's a member as part of the League of Themselves.
 
If you can think of any other movies, TV or theatrically released, that can be added to this TV dimension, let me know.  And I would really appreciate a catchy name for that world as well!

BCnU!

Sunday, May 21, 2017

LIFE DURING PRIME-TIME: PERRY MASON


This is a pretty good biography of Perry Mason by Arthur Bloch for the IMDb:


Perry Mason is a criminal attorney in private practice in Los Angeles, CA. (Unless stated otherwise, the details given here are based on the 1957-66 TV series.)

On at least one occasion, Perry has an associate working in his office, but this appears to be an exception to the usual one-man status of his law firm. For a period of perhaps a year, he allowed law student David Gideon, a former client, use of his law library, and Gideon occasionally helped out on Perry's cases. Keeping this office running are his confidential legal secretary Della Street and receptionist Gertie. Although primarily a criminal lawyer, specializing in murder cases, Perry also frequently handles civil cases. On occasion he even makes an exception to his general distaste for divorce cases. His offices are in Suite 904 of the Brent Building, phone: 213-625-1190.

Perry was in the US Navy during World War II. His favorite hobby, when he gets the time to pursue it, is fishing. He and Della often go out to dinner together, and on at least one occasion she tends to him while he's sick. However, other indications of a romantic relationship between them are lacking.

Perry's frequent approach to a murder case is to investigate it thoroughly and discover some person other than his client whom he can prove committed the crime. In this work, he is assisted by Paul Drake, who runs his own private detective agency. Very often, the greatest obstacle that Perry faces is the tendency of his own clients to lie to him. In one case, a client was convicted and sentenced to death, but still would not admit the truth until Perry discovered it by other means.

Perry is widely respected in the legal world, often called upon to give lectures to law students or other groups. Police and prosecutors have a mixed attitude toward him. His occasional skirting of the law, relying on his thorough knowledge of every possible technicality, makes him a constant source of aggravation to the authorities. However, as they are as devoted to the pursuit of justice as he is, they often make common cause with him to ensure that the truth is revealed and the proper person is punished. This is particularly true of Hamilton Burger, who, when one of his own friends is in trouble with the law, knows that Perry is the best choice for defense attorney.

By 1985 in the TV movies, Perry had been a judge, but resigns from the bench in order to defend Della on a murder charge. For the first three years of his return to private practice, he is assisted in his investigations by Paul Drake Jr., who has continued in his late father's footsteps. In 1989, Perry defends law student Ken Malansky, who assumes the role of legman for Perry and his substitutes into 1995. (In 1993-95, Perry was often away and let other talented, experienced attorneys take over his office and cases.) The primary setting of these cases varies between Southern California and Colorado. The relationship between Perry and Della is still close but not clearly defined.

In the 1930's Mason movies, Perry's relations with the police were considerably more adversarial, and hints of his relationship with Della were more suggestive. He apparently has considerable skill as an amateur cook. Paul Drake does not appear, but in some cases, his role as an investigator is taken by the slightly disreputable Spudsy Drake. In The Case of the Velvet Claws, Perry and Della get married, but this is ignored even in the immediately following films.


BCnU!

VIDEO SUNDAY - JACK BENNY MEETS PERRY MASON? IN YOUR DREAMS


Here's the episode of 'The Jack Benny Program' in which Jack dreamed about Perry Mason.....



TVXOHOF, CENTENNIAL SALUTE - PERRY MASON



Today would have been Raymond Burr's 100th birthday.  And what better way to pay tribute than to "immortalize" his most famous character in the Television Crossover Hall of Fame.

Burr starred in 271 episodes of his eponymous TV series and nearly 20 years later he returned in a series of TV movies, 26 in total.

Those movies could stand as individual entries, but we have another show to help confirm Perry Mason's existence in Toobworld:

"The Jack Benny Program"
Jack on Trial for Murder (5 November 1961)  



Anyone familiar with that episode knows that it was an extended dream sequence in which Jack was on trial for killing a rooster and he was being defended by Perry Mason.

But it was established by another character that Perry Mason was a TV character.  (The first lawyer Jack consulted never went to law school; everything he learned came from watching Perry Mason on TV.)

I have no Zonk objections to this.  As successful a lawyer as Perry Mason was in TV-LA, he was a citizen of Toobworld who was bound to have a TV show made about him.  So many Toobworld citizens do; it's the only way to keep so many TV shows in the same dimension even after they're discussed on other TV shows who share that same world.


(Two quotes about the 'Perry Mason' TV show are used as header quotes for consecutive "episodes" in my Toobworld adventures - one by Leslie Williams in 'Columbo' and from 'Dream On', one by Toby Pedalbee.)

In Toobworld, if there was any mention of Erle Stanley Gardner writing the books in some TV show, again there is no Zonk.  Gardner's televersion didn't create the character; he simply chronicled Mason's cases.  (We saw the same thing splained away with potential Zonks about Mark Twain, Agatha Christie, and especially Arthur Conan Doyle who was Dr. Watson's literary agent.)


As I mentioned above, Perry Mason appeared often in quotes by other TV characters and most of the times it was O'Bvious that the quote was a reference to the TV show (in shows like 'Dobie Gillis', 'Dennis The Menace', 'Gilligan's Island', and 'Sanford And Son'.)

But other times....  I don't get fanatical about it, claiming if the TV show isn't mentioned then it must be about Perry Mason the man.  I think most people associate mentions of the lawyer with his TV portrayal, and some of those people might not even know he exists along with them in the same world. (An inadvertent result similar to what UNReel is always striving for with regards to their projects to disguise the exploits of the Doctor and the men from U.N.C.L.E.)

I think that if the character making the reference to Perry Mason is from California, but especially the Los Angeles area, or is a lawyer themselves or someone who might occasionally rub elbows with such a celebrity, then I think they really were speaking of the actual Perry Mason.

Here were a few examples (gathered from the IMb):

Make Room for Daddy:
Rusty the Rat

When Rusty presents himself as Linda's lawyer, Danny sarcastically calls him "Perry Mason".


One one of his trips to perform out West, Danny Williams may have met Mason at a social function - perhaps at the home of Rod Serling?

The Jack Benny Program:
Main Street Shelter 

Jack sarcastically refers to the ex-lawyer as "Perry Mason".

This happened a year before Jack dreamt of the lawyer.

Mister Ed:
The Bank Robbery 

Wilbur says that his drawing of the robber is so good that even Perry Mason couldn't help him.

Although Ed talked about Mason more, I think Wilbur had to deal with him in real life, perhaps as a client due to something Ed did.


The Brady Bunch:
Lost Locket, Found Locket 

Mike refers to Greg as a junior Perry Mason.

In a reversal, Perry might have been Mike's client, calling on his services as an architect.

This was a good example in which it could go both ways:

Harry: 
My mother-in-law says I look like Perry Mason.
Paul: 
It's not a compliment. 
It means she thinks you're fat.
'MAD MEN'

For Harry, he thinks his mother was comparing him to the actual man.  He might have met Mason in conjunction with an advertising campaign and/or the client.  And although Paul would have met him as well, he would have understood that Harry's Mom would only have the TV show as the frame of reference.

There is one other reason why Perry Mason should be considered a real person in Toobworld who just happened to have a TV show about him.  In one episode, Perry mentioned that he was friends with Rod Serling, the host of the TV show 'The Twilight Zone'.  And the inspiration for the term "serlinguist" (although he was not the first one who could talk to the people in the Trueniverse - that would be more likely George  Burns) is already a member of the Television Crossover Hall of Fame as well, inducted in October of 2009. (Serling may have helped get Perry's life story translated to the small screen.)

And so there you have it.  In the case advocating the induction of Perry Mason into the TVXOHOF, the Defense rests.

BCnU!